SONIPAT: A six-year-old girl was found dead in a water-filled pit near a construction site in Haryana’s Sonipat district after her family alleged that she was taken away from their makeshift dwelling while asleep and subsequently sexually assaulted and killed.The incident took place on Wednesday night in the Mohana police station area of Sonipat. The girl’s body was recovered from a water-filled pit near an agricultural field after the family and local residents searched the area for around three hours.Police have arrested an 18-year-old youth in connection with the case and invoked provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act following demands from the victim’s family.Mohana police station SHO Inspector Baliram said the accused is a resident of Karnal district and had arrived at the site a few days ago in search of work. He was working as a labourer at the construction site.The girl’s mother told The Times of India that both her daughters were sleeping beside her inside their makeshift dwelling on Wednesday night. She said she had placed her hand over the elder child while sleeping and that a curtain had been put up at the entrance of the dwelling.According to the mother, the accused, identified by the family as Sumit, allegedly entered the dwelling during the night and took the child away while she was asleep.The girl’s father, according to the family, was sitting in another nearby makeshift dwelling at the time.The mother said the accused had earlier visited them that night on the pretext of buying vegetables. She alleged that he did not open the curtain fully and was handed the vegetables from the side. She subsequently went to sleep with her two daughters.The family alleges that the accused later returned to the dwelling and took the child away.When the girl’s father returned, the child was missing, according to the family. Relatives and local residents then began searching the surrounding area.The family said they searched the nearby makeshift dwellings, the construction site, fields and water-filled pits. The search continued for nearly three hours.During the search, the family claimed that they noticed the light of a mobile phone towards the fields and saw the accused approaching from that direction.The family has alleged that the girl was found with her hands tied with wire and her legs restrained. They have also alleged that she was found without clothes and had been sexually assaulted before being drowned.These allegations are part of the family’s account and have not been independently established. The police investigation, post-mortem examination and forensic findings will determine the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.The girl’s mother said she had pleaded with the accused to at least tell her whether her daughter was safe.According to the mother, she told him that she would not confront him and only wanted to know whether her daughter was alive. She said that if the child had been taken away, the family would bring her back themselves.She also claimed that there was a possibility that the girl had been made to consume something and that her tongue appeared bluish when she was found. This claim will also have to be examined through medical and forensic evidence.The mother said the family had dinner at around 7.30pm on Wednesday. Rice had been prepared, and the child ate only part of her meal before falling asleep.According to the mother, the girl’s last words to her were, “Mummy, I am not very hungry.”The mother described her daughter as a quiet child who rarely quarrelled with anyone. The sisters used to play together, and the girl would often tell her mother, “Mummy, I want something to eat.”The mother said the child’s father loved both his daughters dearly and would fulfil their wishes.The family had reportedly arrived at the construction site around 15 days before the incident.The girl’s father works as a mason, while the family is originally from Madhya Pradesh. According to the mother, they had been moving between different locations for work for around two years.She said she would feed the children in the morning before leaving for work at another site.Following the recovery of the child’s body, the family demanded that the alleged sexual assault be investigated and that action be taken under the POCSO Act and SC/ST Act.The demand led to a commotion at the spot. Social worker Devendra Gautam also reached the site and supported the family’s demands, according to the family.The relatives also alleged that police had forced them to submit an application. This allegation remains part of the family’s account.Mohana SHO Inspector Baliram said the accused had been arrested and that police had invoked the POCSO and SC/ST Acts in accordance with the family’s demand.He said the accused is 18 years old, a resident of Karnal district, and had come to the area a few days earlier for work. He was employed as a labourer.“The family had demanded action under the POCSO and SC/ST Acts. We have taken action under both Acts and arrested the accused. Further proceedings are underway. Further action will be taken after the post-mortem and forensic reports are received,” Inspector Baliram said.Following the post-mortem, the family initially refused to perform the child’s last rites, insisting on action under the POCSO and SC/ST Acts.The child’s body was subsequently kept at the Civil Hospital mortuary.According to Inspector Baliram, the family will perform the child’s last rites on Friday.The accused has been arrested and provisions of the POCSO and SC/ST Acts have been invoked, but the investigation into the exact circumstances of the child’s death remains underway.The post-mortem and forensic reports are expected to be crucial in establishing the cause of death and examining the allegations made by the family.
